The fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced its first test on Tuesday when Israel said the flow of aid into the devastated Palestinian territory would be cut by half and the crucial Rafah border crossing with Egypt would not open as planned, accusing Hamas of breaching the US-brokered agreement by withholding the bodies of Israeli hostages. On Monday, Israelis celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages in Gaza and Palestinians rejoiced at Israel’s release of nearly 2,000 detainees as part of the ceasefire’s first phase. But the move to restrict aid and postpone the opening of Rafah – a major crossing point that would allow supplies to enter Gaza from outside Israel – will come as a shock nonetheless. The crossing was due to open on Wednesday in line with the 20-point agreement agreed last week, which called for a surge of aid at levels last seen during the short-lived ceasefire in March. The delay in opening Rafah dismayed humanitarian officials in Gaza who said only limited supplies had entered since the ceasefire deal was agreed. The UN said tents for displaced families, frozen meat, fresh fruit, flour and medicines crossed into Gaza on Saturday, but on Monday no trucks had entered from Israel due to the passage of hostages freed in Gaza, while Tuesday was a Jewish religious holiday so crossings were shut. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) acknowledged on Tuesday that delays could be expected, describing handing over the remains of all hostages as a "massive challenge" given the difficulties of finding bodies amid the territory’s rubble. Early tensions in the ceasefire were widely expected as Hamas and Israel seek to gain advantage during the implementation of the ill-defined 20-point plan proposed by Trump. But the Israeli military said its forces had opened fire after repeated warnings to "suspects" who had been identified as threats after approaching their positions in the first incident and a former Hamas arms cache in the second. Trump has given his blessing to Hamas to reassert some control of Gaza, at least temporarily. Israeli officials, who say any final settlement must permanently disarm Hamas, have not so far commented publicly on the reappearance of the group’s fighters on to the streets. As tens of thousands make their way back to their ruined homes, the full extent of the destruction in Gaza is becoming clear. Jaco Cilliers, a special representative to the UN Development Programme administrator for a programme to help Palestinians, said on Tuesday that the UN, the EU and the World Bank jointly estimated that the reconstruction of Gaza would cost $70bn. "The estimated damage and rubble, throughout the whole of Gaza, is in the region of 55 million tons ... equal to 13 pyramids in Giza," he said.
